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» RUABON.

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» RUABON. &IR WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN'S CHARITIES.— a • vJwen Slaney Wynne writes to contradict a WidY Unckai'i table report, which he says has been v, bnnv au<^ miscliievously circulated in this neigh- andfl0^' annual charitable gifts of beef Wv » f°r so many years distributed from ynnsUy at Christmas time, are compulsory and wi.70^nt'ary. Mr. Wynne very sensibly adds that to Watkin may continue to dispense charities Pre 6 really Reserve them, and which at the ^rne so many poor "people need, it is a great tho aiu^ doing poor people a serious wrong for wh° are placed in a position to know better Rood Q°k Vow require charity to interfere with the j;0 Mentions and the wants of others. In addition Wa charitable gifts of flannel, the beef which Sir Poo a^so £ iyes provides a dinner to about 3,000 than ^eoP^e' aQd such a gift cannot prove otherwise can a Messing to those who receive it, while it &°t be denied that it may interfere with the w^ich Sir Watkin derives from such a th» gift if wicked people persist in spreading thaf1^111-0111 ^at it is not a free charitable gift, but j, *8 comPelled to provide it. PTY SESSIONS, Friday.—Before Edmund Peel, Edward Evans, Esq., and Archibald Peel, cr Mining Offence.—Isaac Evans, a charter- Coal n emPl°y °i" the New British Iron and Coal -P^pany, was charged with a breach of the Acto ea Regulation Act. Mr. T. Bennion ra n> who prosecuted, said the defendant un- a sk°t in the mine which had missed aQd by so doing he might have sacrificed the l3s° lives in the pit. Defendant was fined Tho^n^ Assault on a County Court Bailiff.— ■\Vilr Griffiths and Wm. Thomas, were charged by jjjg. Jones, a County Court bailiff, with assault- cal when in the execution of his duty.—The was dismissed. 10 Result of the Election at Rhos.—The court of. eil?aged for some time in deciding a number Jarv'SaUlt cases arising out of the election. Levi Sao-/8 Tas summoned by Edward Tunnah, of the Wr es, 11 at Rhos. Levi Jarvis and Thos. Evans aHd\v-iS° 8ummoiled for assaulting Thomas Jones, a am VVilliams charg-edL Thomas Lewis with &Ud S\TU^'—^r* Ll. Kenrick appeared to prosecute, eyjj Copley Pierce defended.—From the ^or complainant it appeared that the al8o tV)auce arose in the Eagles Inn. It seemed 0fcW d a crow(i °f men led by Jarvis and the ti0Q pendants entered the house with the inten- killing all the Tories. This was resented, in eu Jarvis entered he struck Thomas Jones r°0 eye. The landlord, Tunnah, entered the patl-' an<i was assaulted by Jarvis and his com- ns-—The defence urged was that the defen- Wain Were the persons assaulted, and not the com- fyag aQt,^jaryis saidhe went into the house and 4fterSsaulted with the fire-irons and the fender.— in e a long hearing Jarvis was fined 4s. and costs 2s J, Case, the other defendants being each fined 'bd- and costs.

to, CHIRK.

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to, CHIRK. ON OSBORNE MORGAN AT CHIRK GREEN.— ilorp! atur(iay afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Osborne 11 v*sited Chirk Green. The visit had only WVerba% announced, but when Mr. and Mrs. CWkn drove UP to a Piece of waste ground near ing ,reen there was a very considerable gather- ^anWiere to meet them. Mr. Morgan said he BUp- to come there and thank them for their a,nd h the recent election. He knew how hard heajj^ well they had worked for him. When he Wey. • 6 account of how on the polling day they tlle flQfa body to the polling booth singing Hold alou6°v' ^or lwe are coming," his heart, and not lie c..8 heart but his wife's, was deeply touched, had d n°k thank them enough for what they th6 e«ne for him, but there was an old saying to t° Co e°t that gratitude was a keen sense of favours he could only ask them to keep their thief dry> ^or another election might come as a ttugj. V1 the night. If it did so come he should tW i 0, them to do for him in the future what had rpi- ^0Ile f°r him in the past. (Cheers.) He of De uPon them, and they, the working men | look J| ^kshire, had put him where he was, and he them, the working men, to keep him | ijsj was. (Cheers.) He did not ask that for ^as fi? he /isked it for their sakes, for he ting the battle of the people-(cheers)-- to A w he was again returned he would endeavour eyes°,the work of the people. He could cast his ?,"aek and look upon two thousand votes given hand Commons, and he could put his Wj 0n his heart and say he never gave a vote f&Utt a Wori £ irL8' man- (Cheers.)—The right hon. ^as tlDlai1' haying shaken hands with those present, Upoj, conducted through Chirk Green, calling ^tr supporters there, and thanking them. c°r<UaVf ^rs" -Mor&a11 were received with great ^.Md they did not leave until six in the

A CARNARVON.

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A CARNARVON. CONJU. ^I°US CHARACTER.—At the County Police and 0th0Q Satur(iay, before Capt. Wynne-Griffith »Han magistrates, John William Owen, quarry- ^Itirf ^?nezer) was charged with drunkenness, as- Cartgj. ~e police, and wilful damage. Mr. H. L. hei^g.' who prosecuted, described the prisoner as ^eighbn0t 0nly a nuisance, but a terror to the heavv °Urhood, and pressed for the imposition of a fith jQS?eriaity. About 7 o'clock on the night of the Up aj. the prisoner, who was then drunk, turned Of kg aynol Arms, and called for five glasses Iftison/' ^he landlord refused, whereupon the the h0l5 uPset a table, smashing 18 glasses, and left at the p6; ^"n hour later he made his appearance ^ilar riUce Wales Inn, and, as he met with a *ia<Wr€fQ8al there, he put his fist through a h°Use • At ten o'clock he emerged from his i*oljc' au<!> armed with a poker, attempted to strike ^dlni^0n^a^e Thomas Jones and Mr. Thomas, cuity 0 Prince of Wales. With some difii- 8evei.el, ,Was secured and taken to the lockup, Peking the officer, and biting on the way v„01^as in the leg—taking a piece clean out— When in the cell he was extremely the berl,rUd smashed the windows and destroyed eXpi";a«ng. The prisoner offered no defence or °n' C.C. Davies put in a number of that th 8 C(?nvietions. Capt. Wynne Griffith said the ben6i?riSoner was a disgrace to his country, and order v Were sorry they had not the power to ^sordpJ111-10 logged. For being drunk and ^ays T~e would be committed to jail for 14 Months • r(^ labour for assaulting the police, 3 assaulting Wm. Thomas, one month for ^ont-h ? ce^' which he had pleaded guilty, Sev6ri an(I for the other damage in the inns, labour eaob—in aH, six months with hard

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A9A2-I«F ^-E^T OF GREAT VALUE-The London S'Veg aom Chemistry and Medicine, in a leader, eJficacv af0 m°st remarkable facts in reference to the a°he8i rn, a ™arvellons cure for the worst of pains 111611 thrr>, e, 5'a«we states that eminent professional ^hanati Great Britain have, after the most *6l?iedv i« given it as their opinion that this A a Positive cure for rheumatic and kindred other remarkable cases they give that Davev n»7^V^?s' f°rmerly in the employ of the house iearfui snff Moore, who for twelve years had been a of Srer irom_rheumatism. He was treated by ail(l Was eminent medical men without relief, liable • Tcharged from St. Mary's Hospital, as in- ^here }j' Was then sent to Paddington Infirmary, rn-r)Ina jne 110 ^ess than six years from there 5?ain nrri ercd to Buxton Hospital, where he was 5lSchargeH inenrable and was eventually His legs and ankles were swollen to °lld scarf.DiS1^eN j1s hands were so enlarged that he criDr>ln<^ I anything; in fact, he was helpless jfj.^niatism ar almost crazy with agonizing this Tm -kast Jane, at the suggestion of a « was anmi,Wja!1 wonderful discovery, St. Jacob's jP^rae of a 'i aocoi'ng to directions and in the „1110 for twnlw was walk, and for the first He N.J have something like a night's °rk. fh« °Jned use °f his limbs and resumed Sar.equally after giving particulars of sKn°t to be wnta] 1ULQa' closes hy saying that it J?'arresf v[?^e an exPerience like this c°tHnieiif if u,hc attention, and become the subject r>edy i8 ieadlng journals. It adds that the if9 Propriefn^1 r/T, a !?,ost rer"arkable one, and that establi«li0(q ^he Charles A. Yogeler Companv— "°ad, London & nch house at 45, Farringdon &°TIM THE COYRT 0F CHANCERY.—Cox have i.Itf ami?v°P buildings, Holborn, London, Published a list of the heirs to this >y Will forwQ1"^8011 Pos^al order of Is. 6d., and V it that ^°U valuable list, and if you «laim trJ°U are entitled to any money or pro- | ^AY. YOUR own, CQX & Co, will show you

ABERGELE.

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ABERGELE. REJOICINGS.—This usually quiet little town was en fete on Friday, in honour of the visit to Kinmel of the heir (Mr. H. S. B. L. Hughes) on his return from his wedding tour. Mr. Hughes was married in October last to Miss Stewart Hodgson, of Lythe Hill, Haslemere, Surrey. A committee was formed at this place, in order to celebrate the event in a worthy manner. A subscription list was opened, which reached £171. A beautiful set of silver entree plate was purchased for 100 guineas, the inscription on which runs as follows :—" Presented to H. S. B. L. Hughes, Esq., on the occasion of his marriage, by the tenants of the Kinmel estate and the well-wishers in Abergele. Oct. 22nd, 1885." An address in a handsome frame was also prepared by Mr. J. Orr Marples, of Liverpool. The balance was devoted to decorations and other demonstra- tions. The town was gaily decorated with arches with suitable mottoes, and a large number of flags. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Hughes arrived at Abergele Station at 1 5 p.m., and were thence escorted to Kinmel by from 50 to 60 of the tenants and well- wishers on horseback, preceded by a brass band, and followed by a large concourse in carriages, as well as some on foot. On arriving at the hall, the gift and the address were formally presented to Mr. and Mrs. Hughes by the chairman (Mr. James Kerfoot) on behalf of the committee. Mr. Hughes briefly thanked them for their much-valued gift, for the sentiments which they had been good enough to embody in the address, and for the demonstrations of good-will which had been shown that day. The members of the committee were then invited to luncheon at the hall. At 6 p.m., a numerously- attended banquet was held at the Bee Hotel. General Wynne, of Coed Coch, presided the vice- presidents being Captain Rowley Conwy and Mr. James Kerfoot. At 9 30 p.m. a soiree was held at the Town Hall, Mr. Hasselden's (Rhyl) string band in attendance. Mr. John Williams, R.S., and Mr. J. D. Jones, Bedoryn, were the honorary secretaries of the movement; and the fact that there was not a single hitch in the proceedings is due to their tact, energy, and forethought.

LLANBERIS.

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LLANBERIS. THE LOCIC-OUT AT THE DINORWIC QUARRIES.— The lock-out at Mr. Assheton Smith's slate quarries at Llanberis has become a strike. The quarries were closed owing to the men leaving work during working hours to attend a mass meeting held out- side the quarries, and to enable the management to formulate rules which would obviate the recurrence of such a lack of discipline. The lock-out extended over six weeks, during which the men have received a small monthly allowance from the North Wales Quarrymen's Union. The rules, signed by the Hon. Walter Vivian, the chief manager of the quarries, were issued on Thursday, and were subsequently discussed by the committee meeting, at which it was decided to advise the men not to accept them. A mass meeting was held on Monday afternoon at Craig yr Undeb (the Union Rock), at which there were close upon 3000 present. Mr. Close Williams presided, and entered into a detailed statement of the new rules and how they would affect the quarries. Other speakers followed, and there was evidently a very hostile feeling against the manage- ment, which resolved itself into the adoption of the following resolution, which was unanimously adop- ted :—" In the face of the unreasonable rules sat up at the Dinorwic Quarries on Dec. 9th, and the attempt, through the notice given that workmen are wanted there, to weaken us by taking us in one by one, and the fact that we, as workmen, consider that the Hon. Walter Vivian and Mr. J. Davies are totally unfit to take charge of a quarry where so many lives would be open to be sacrificed through their ignorance and incapacity, we resolve, as a body of workmen, to absolutely and resolutely refuse to work under such rules and managers. Further, we strongly trust that Mr. Assheton-Smith will see the deputation on behalf of the workmen, or allow the matter to be decided by arbitration." Notices are posted at the quarries inviting the men to take their bargains from Monday, and for labourers and others to attend at the offices for employment.

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AN ANGLESEY LIVING OFFERED BY AUCTION.— The market value of Church livings in Wales may throw some light upon the opinion of investors in this kind of stock. There was on Saturday an at- tempt made at Bangor to sell an avowdson by public auction, but bidders were exceedingly shy. The property in question was described as the rectory, or perpetual curacy, of Llanddona, in Anglesey, of which parish the population is computed at 492, and the gross value £246 with a rectory. The pres- ent rector (the vendors did not forget to add) is in his 49th year, and, looking at the surrounding conditions, he is, no doubt, in excellent health. There were only two points upon which the auction- eer was asked for information, and the questions were pertinent. One was whether the Court of Chancery would guarantee the rights of the pur- chaser in the event of disestablishment in Wales. The other was whether, if a Nonconformist bought, the bishop would induct the nominee. The auctioneer, with a business frankness much to be commended, explained that it was no part of his business to inquire into the religious views of any person offering: a bid. His duty was to knock down the property to whoever would concede a reasonable price. It does not matter that the so-called property is concerned with an ecclesiastical benefice-that the owner has the presentation to a cure of souls in the Church of England when it is brought to the hammer, the sole condition attaching to the transfer of propertyship is that the transferee shall pay a sufficient price in pounds sterling. Need it be wondered at-with disestablishment in the air— that bids were rather jokes than otherwise? A clergyman began by offering £ 5, to the intense amusement of the company, and others followed until a maximum of £ 70 was reached. There the lot stood fast. No one would go further and as the value fixed by the Court of Chancery had not been reached, the proceedings came to an abortive close. These scandals of putting up Church livings to the highest bidder will soon become rare, even in England for if disestablishment be not imminent, it is sufficiently in the public mind to make advow- sons about as valuable as land has become in Ireland. —Liverpool Mercury. EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT OF A RAILWAY PAS- SENGER.-On Monday, at Chester City Police Court, the Mayor (G. A. Dickson, Esq.) presiding, a power-' fully built fellow named John Roberts, of Sandy- croft, near Flint, was charged at the instance of the London and North-western Railway Company with annoying passengers and being drunk on Sunday evening, the 29th November. It appeared from the evidence that as the six o'clock train was about to leave Chester station, two men, one of whom was the prisoner, entered a third-class compartment, in which an Irishman and a Chester gentleman were already seated. As the train neared Dee Bridge, the prisoner accused the Irishman of being a Tory, and, in spite of the latter's protestations to the con- trary, the prisoner struck him several heavy blows on the face, causing a considerable loss of blood. The Irishman got up, and .undoing the door was springing out, when one of the other occupants seized his arm. He was firmly grasped, but he con- tinued to struggle, and he was held in this perilous position till the train drew up at Sandycroft, a dis- tance of some six miles, Here his boot became jammed between the platform and the step of the compartment. The boot had to be ripped open before he could be released. The prosecutor did not appear, and the prisoner was fined £3 and costs, the alternative being six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour. WHITE'S Mac MAIN LEVER Tscss is the most effective invention for the treatment of Hernia. The use of a steel spring, so hurtful in its effects, is avoided, a soft bandage being worn round the body, while the requisite resisting power is supplied by the Moc-Main Pad and Patent Lever, fitting with so much ease and closeness that it cannot be detected. Send for descriptive circular, with testimonials and prices, to J. White and Co. (Limited), 228, Piccadilly, London. Do not buy of Chemists, who often sell an IMITA- TIOJT of our Moc-Main. J. White and Co. have not any Agents. (1671) HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—The Great Need.-The blood is the life, and on its purity depends our health, if not our existence. These Pills thoroughly cleanse this vital fluid from all contaminations, and by that power strengthen and invigorate the whole system, healthily stimulate sluggish organs, repress over-exoited action, and establish order of circulation andsccretion throughout every part of the body. The balsamic nature of Holloway's Pills commends them to the favour of debilitated and nervous constitutions, which they soon resuscitate. They dislodge all obstructions both in the bowels and elsewhere, and are, on that account, much sought after for promoting regularity of action in young females and delicate persons who are naturally weak, or who from some cause have become ISO,

MR.. GLADSTONE AND HOME RULE.

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MR.. GLADSTONE AND HOME RULE. Yesterday's (Thursday) Standard says :—We are in a position to state that the following are the lines on which Mr. Gladstone on taking office will be prepared to deal with the question of Home Rule in Ireland The maintenance of the unity of the empire, the authority of the Crown and the supre- macy of the Imperial Parliament to be assured, the creation of an Irish Parliament to be entrusted with the entire management of all legislative and administrative affairs, securities being taken for the representation of minorities, and for an equitable partition of all imperial charges. One of the guarantees suggested would probably be the nomi- nation of a certain proportion of the Irish members by the Crown.

HOME & FOREIGN CHIT-CHAT.

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HOME & FOREIGN CHIT-CHAT. Rev. J. M. Davies, of Penllwyn, near Aberystwyth, has accepted a hearty call to the pastorate of Hermon Church, Dowlais. Denbighshire Election.—Oh, Morgan great is thy victory. You win, and the loser's Wynn.-Funny Folks. Mr. Spurgeon left England on Friday for the con- tinent, for a season of rest and recuperation, after a somewhat severe attack of rheumatism. A cattle-drover named William Butler, about 50 years of age, was found on Thursday frozen to death, near Pontypridd. Thomas Morris and two sons were fined X5 or one month, at Eastbourne, on Monday, for smoking out a county court bailiff with sulphur. The late Lord Dudley's famous Raphael "The Three Graces," has just been sold for £25,000, to his Royal Highness the Due d'Aumale. The Rev. Lord Alwyne Compton, dean of Worcester, has accepted the Bishopric of Ely, vacant by the death of Dr. Woodford. At the recent rent audits on the Wynnstay estate, Sir W. W. Wynn showed his sympathy with the farmers by returning ten per cent. to all his tenants. The Duke of Westminster has intimated through his agent that the whole of his; Flintshire tenantry will have 25' per cent. returned upon their current rents. The marriage of Sir Richard Bulkeley, Bart., with the Lady Magdalen Yorke, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Hardwicke, took place at the Chapel Royal, Savoy, on Thursday afternoon. Robert Kirkpatrick, of Spring Cottage, Gobowen, attempted to commit suicide at Welshpool, on Friday, by swallowing rat poison. He is now recovering. Mr. Osborne Morgan paid a visit to Rhos on Mon- day, and at a largely attended meeting of the Liberal committee in the evening,"thanked the electors for the splendid victory that had been won. John Rone, a labourer, of Northwood, Ellesmere, has been committed for trial for stealing a bag con- taining X26 10s. from a pig dealer, named Thomas Reeves, of Hampton's Wood, near Ellesmere, when the latter was in drink. The annual report of the Welsh Baptist Total Ab- stinence Society, just published, contains the names of about 120 Baptist ministers in the principality who are pledged abstainers. The society was formed in 1879. A grocer's assistant named Bennett, who varied the monotony of a political meeting at Wimborne by throwing across the room a packet of pepper, which burst in the eyes of a constable, has had to pay four guineas for his amusement. A fatal accident occurred on Friday afternoon, at Grangetown, Cardiff. A number of people were skating on the roach pond, when the ice gave way, and a man named Grant, who lived at Penarth, was drowned. He leaves a widow and large family. At the City of York Chancery Court, on Friday, the Rev. James Bell-Cox, incumbent of St. Margaret's, Prince's-road, Liverpool, was* suspended ab officio for six calendar months for contempt and disobedience to the order of the court. The Marquis of Bute has presented X50 to each of the successful translators of the Alcestis of Euri- pides into Welsh, and it is believed that a performance of the translated play will be undertaken at his lord- ship's expense. The French Minister for Foreign Affairs denies all knowledge of the treaty alleged to have been agreed to between the French agent at Burmah and the Burmese Government, and which is reported to have been brought to light since the British occupation of the Burmese capital. Miss Annia Butterworth, the contralto-singer, who at an early age won the Westmoreland scholarship and the Christine Nillson prize, at the Royal Academy of Music, and also carried of the prize at the last national competition at the Crystal Palacfe, died at Hendon, after a long illness, last week. Dr. Howson, Dean of Chester, died at Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, aged 69. He had been very seriously ill for some time, and towards the end of November left Chester to winter at Bournemouth. A telegram received at Chester thus announces the Dean's death:—"As it struck six o'clock he slept quietly away. At Friday's meeting of the Conway Board of Guard- ians, the Rev. W. Venables Williams in the chair, the master of the Workhouse was empowered to employ able-bodied women for test purposes in oakum picking. It was decided to allow the usual Christmas dinner for the children, aged poor, and infirm in the Work- house. The death is announced of Mr. E. K. Kynaston of Southport. Mr. Kynaston was noted as a successful fruit grower, and his name is associated with the sys- tem known as root pruning, by which method he claimed to be able to grow a crop of fruit every year independent of bad weather. Mr. Kynaston was the author of several small works on fruit growing, moat of which are published under the pseudonym of "Head Gardener," and were printed at the Advertiser Office, Wrexham. He formerly resided in the neighbourhood of Oswestry, and was well known in North Wales. About 5,000 people followed the remains of the Rev. R. Hughes (Tremrudd), of Maesteg, on Wednesday, to the grave in the burial ground of Bethania. The funeral was the largest ever witnessed there. There was a partial cessation of labour in all the collieries and \ironworks, all the shops were closed, and the blinds were drawn in all the dwellings from Ivy Cottage to the burial place. A somewhat remarkable occurrence took place on the same day, -viz., the burial of Walter Hughes, Ivor-street, aged 88 years, the oldest member in Bethania,where poor"Tremrudd" had ministered for over 34 years. It is understood in the North of London, says the London correspondent of the York Herald, that the Rev. W. M. Statham, of Hare Court Chapel, and for- merly of Hull, is about to take orders in the Church of England. Mr. Statham has lately distinguished himself by the energy with which he has spoken and written against Disestablishment, and in politics he is a Conservative. But he is personally exceedingly popular with the congregation he is leaving, and there is no doubt that, if he joins the Church, his eloquence and originality will be as much appreciated as it has been by Nonconformists. Mr. Statham's views on the Disestablishment question form one of the papers in England's Church the Nation's Strength." A JUDICIAL PUZZLE AT STORNOWAY.—The Authorities at Stornoway have, it is said, been somewhat nonplussed by the action of a man who was summoned to appoar at the Burgh Court there. It appears this person has cited all the magistrates as witnesses, and so there is no one left to try his case. The magistrates, of course, are bound to obey the citation; but, on the other hand, should they refuse to attend, there is no other magistrate to issue a warrant for their apprehension, and if they did obey the call there would be no judge to try the case. There is no doubt that this man by his ingenuity has for a time rendered it impossible for his trial to go on. It is said that such conduct amounts to contempt of court, as the gentlemen summoned are said to have no knowledge of the case, and to have been called as witnesses simply to obstruct the progress of the action. Whether that be so or not, the man has created a state of affairs for which there is said to be no precedent.- Scotchman. PEGGY EVANS OF LLANBERIS.The deeds of the far-famed Margaret-uch-Evans, better known as Peggy Evans," of Llanberis, have been cele- brated both in prose and verse. Pennant, in his Tour in zles, says—" This extraordinary female was the greatest hunter, shooter, and fisher of her time she kept a dozen, at least, of dogs-terriers, greyhounds, and spaniels, all excellent in their kinds. She killed more foxes in one year than all the confederate hunts did in ten rowed stoutly and was Queen of the lake fiddled excellently, and knew all the old British music did not neglect the mechanic arts, for she was a good joiner and at the age of seventy was the best wrestler in the country, and few young men dared to try a fall with her. She had a maid of congenial qualities but death, that mighty hunter, at last earthed this faithful companion. Margaret was also blacksmith, shoemaker, and boat-builder, and maker of harps. She shod her own horses, made her own shoes, and built her own boats, while she:was under contract to convey the copper ore down the lakes. All the neighbouring bards paid their addresses to Margaret and celebrated her exploits in pure British verse. At length she gave her hand to the most effeminate of her admirers, as if predetermined to maintain the superiority which nature had bestowed upon her."

SHAKESPEARE'S FEMALE CHARACTERS.*

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SHAKESPEARE'S FEMALE CHARACTERS.* ["Shakespeare's Female Characters." By Helena Faucit Lady Martin. William Blackwood and Sons, 1885.] This is one of the books we dare hardly criticize. We are content rather to admire the depth and delicacy of sympathy with which Lady Martin has identified herself with a few of her favourite characters from Shakespeare. She has dreamed them and lived with them, till represen- tations on the stage became the expression and the embodiment of feelings ever freshened by a fervid imagination. She says far too little in her preface when she modestly expresses the hope that her sister-women might give her the happiness of thinking that she has helped them to appreciate and to love with a love like her own these sweet and noble representatives of their sex. For to every one she has thrown the flashes of new and suggestive lights over some of the most delightful creations of Shakespeare's genius. Incidentally, besides, she has brought out with great force the marvellously fertile and effective resources of his instinctive dramatic power. Sometimes she lets her fancy outstrip her knowledge, as when she imagines a bright future for Portia and the redemption of a re- pentant Shylock, after the curtain has come down on Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. For fanciful pictures like that, she half apologizes, very unnecessarily and altogether we have sel- dom met with a book which has given us more refined enjoyment as we read, and more original matter for meditation afterwards. We may add that it is gemmed with extracts which gain new beauties from the setting of the running com- mentary, which by placing them in unfamiliar lights lends them a fresh lustre. Freshness is indeed the characteristic of the monographs, which take the form of letters to Shakespearian enthusiasts, as the stage-interpre- tations of the heroines are thoughtfully and sympathetically original. Lady Martin tells us that she was hampered by no traditions; that her ideals were not interfered with by recollections of what others had done. As for her own concep- tions-her Rosalind was an exception-most of them had dated from very early days. An old edition of the great dramatist in her hand, she had strolled and declaimed as a girl along the sea- shore, with the big dog of the household as her only audience. She had gone somewhat further with Juliet, acting the balcony scene with an 11 y elder sister; and it was the chance of the lessee of a Richmond theatre accidentally overhearing them that led first to her trying the stage as a pro- fession. As for the" Ophelia" with which she begins, she says,—Ophelia' was one of the pet dreams of my girlhood-partly, perhaps, from the mystery of her madness." When she came to play the part, her mind had long been made up, and her acting was the shaping of those girlish dreams. She had figured to herself the daughter of a worldly and unsympathetic father, left to the kindly tending of simple country folk. Transplanted suddenly to the artificial atmos- phere of a Court, all the country customs and the country songs were still clinging fondly to her memory, and that presumption reconciles with her native purity those snatches of ballads which sound strange on her lips, and which have lent themselves to the calumnious suggestions of coarse-minded critics. She loves Hamlet as Hamlet has loved her till the discovery of his adored mother's infidelity to the memory of his dead father makes him regard all the treacherous sex with contempt or suspicion. Thenceforth the innocent advances of the compassionate Ophelia are met with distrust and rebuffs, which drive her into insanity through despair. Still there is method and there is memory in the mad- ness when she meets her brother after the catastrophe. A faint remembrance comes over her of his warning words, of the shock they gave her, and of the misery which came so soon afterwards. The soul of sense being gone, the sweet mind had become such stuff as dreams are made of. I Lady Martin seeks the key to the conduct and the characters of Portia and Desdemona in com- paring, or rather contrasting, their respective up- bringing. Portia had been the rich heiress of a doting parent, who had neglected nothing that might cultivate and adorn her mind, who had even trained her keen judgment in the principles of law, by the medium of their kinsman Bellario. He died and left the maiden orphaned, but, though preparing a trying ordeal for her, he did his best to secure her married happiness among a crowd of rival suitors. While as for the unfor- tunate Desdemona, with her loving nature and her longing for love, she had been chilled by a cold and even a cruel parent. The more readily she lent an ear to the soldier Moor, and when he touched her heart he became all in all to her. The filial duty she still owed to Brabantio was outweighed by the love and the duty she had vowed to her husband. And so when the Moor has won his cause, the mortified Brabantio lets out the cold malignity of his natural disposition :— Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee." The malicious shaft, shot half at random, carried home only too truly. It suggested to Iago his hellish plot; it prepared the mind of Othello to receive the venom of suspicion. As for Othello's boast of being not easily jealous, Lady Martin does not admit it. His jealousy was only too easily awakened by trifles that should really have seemed light as air, while Desdemona's faith and consciousness of innocence are so strong that the shrewd and subtle Iago does not even attempt to beguile her, though he makes tools of all else in their turn. And apropos to the grand death-scene, Lady Martin gives an instance- one among many—of the passion of sympathetic feeling with which she entered into those emotional parts. "My friends used to say, as Mr. Macready did, that in Desdemona I was very hard to kill.' How could I be otherwise? I would not die dishonoured in Othello's esteem. This was bitterer than 50,000 deaths. Then I thought of all his after-suffering when he had come to know how he bad mistaken me." The first of the two letters on Juliet is almost entirely devoted to most interesting reminis- cences of the beginning of the writer's career as an actress. She had made her debut at Richmond, as we have said; her sister was to play Lady Capulet to give her courage. The timid Juliet, in a paroxysm of nervousness and stage fright, rushed into Lady Capulet's arms, who was scarcely less agitated. Nor was she to be lured from them again during the scene by all the cajolings of the Nurse." Happily for her courage, shecau°ht through the mists floating before her eyes the gaze of one in the audience to whom she owed much. She made a mighty effort, the enthusiasm of her part gradually possessed her, and Juliet "went on swimmingly." Indeed, so utterly was she carried away that, all Utl- consciously, she crushed in her hand the phial that contained the potion, till at last she saw a stream of blood trickling down over her dress, when she turned sick, and literally fainted on the bed. When she then acted the part she had been too young to enter into Juliet's innermost feelings. Afterwards she realized her heroine as a creature who, among chilling domestic sur- roundings, had bloomed into early girlhood, with a rich imagination full of romance, and with a boundless capacity for self-devotion." Juliet dreams the future which so far she nnds she meets her ideal hero in Romeo. The passage beginning Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face" Lady Martin declares to be supreme in subtlety and expression, where all is beautiful, in a scene which as a whole is the noblest pasan to Love ever written." She gives wonderfully original interpretations, too, of the scenes with the Nurse, while the culmination of the catas- trophe in the family vault is elucidated with extraordinary power and pathos. Among the other studies-and we have left ourselves no space to do them even the most partial and unsatisfactory justice-our favourite is the Rosa- lind. Lady Martin, having been only introduced to her heroine for the occasion, made a compara- tive failure of her first appearance. She was told, much to her mortification, by candid friends that she had been merely playing, not acting. But the disappointment sent her to a careful examina- tion of the character, and she confessed that in its depths it was only revealed to her, when she came to know it minutely and represent it frequently. She came to the conclusion that it was "by a strange perversion" that Rosalind, like Portia, used to be habitually assigned to actresses whose strength lay only in comedy." For herself, she has analyzed with rare per- spicuity and delicacy the veins of passion, pathos, and sparkling playfulness which are perpetually intermingling and confounding themselves in one of the wittiest and most bewitching of Shakespeare's heroines.-The Times.

CORRESPONDENCE.

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CORRESPONDENCE. (WE do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our corres ponden ts.- ED.1 To the Editor of the "Llcmgollen Advertiser." Sir,Being a resident of Llangollen now for some years, and paying heavy rent, rates, &c., I thought I would just insert a few lines in your columns. Live and let live ought to be every man's motto but there happens to be amongst us now something to cause a certain amount of grievance. We have on the Smithfield a party who sells almost everything, from a needle to an anvil. We all suffer from depression of trade to a certain extent, but when one sees parties making purchases of unnecessary articles from strangers, when they stand indebted to their generous creditors for not only months but years, it is high time to make comments. -RESIDENT. WATCHNIGHTS. To the Editor of the" Llangollen Advertiser." Sir,-Through the medium of your newspaper I would like to make a suggestion with regard to the establishment of a Watchnight at any one of the chapels in Llangollen on New Year's Eve. I think I utter the sentiments of many of my fellow-chapel- goers when I say that I should much like to see this old custom revived in the town. I have heard but one objection to its being held i.e., because some rowdy and irreverent persons interfered more or less with the service, either from outside or inside the edifice. Now, I really am at a loss to see how such a thing could be possible. But granting, for the sake of argument, that such was the case, I really do not see any difficulty whatever in the immediate suppression of such disturbances and annoyances. At the Welsh Wesleyan Chapel, not long ago, there was a crowded congregation on New Year's Eve, and I failed to see anything whatever to mar the occasion-indeed, everyone seemed as devout and reverent as such a solemn and impressive occasion required. I may say that I and many of my acquaintances were present simply because we adore the old custom. To my way of thinking, I believe that the holding of a service at such a solemn time of the year is beneficial to the spiritual interests and welfare of many who attend the same, and I would ask the authorities of any of the denominational bodies to comply with this request, as I feel sure I am echoing the sentiments of many of the townspeople.-Yours truly, DUM VIVIMUS YIVAMUS. THE PARISH CHURCH. To the Editor of the Llangollen Advertiser." Sir,-Does the severe wintry weather affect the constitution of our beloved pastors ? This season the organist has wonderfully improved the choir, and can handle his instrument well; but it is too bad of him, in his ambition for Cathedral service, to make such a "hash" of the Curates. Before such changes are made in the Church a meeting of the congregation should be called and their opinion taken. It is such things as these which tend to make us half-hearted Churchmen. There are a few "odd" Churches you meet with a few eccentric individuals in life ;—were they more numerous, I, strong Churchman and Conservative as I am, would not hesitate to vote for Disestablish- ment. Our Vicar and Curates are worthy men, but let them not forget that the Church is the Church of the people. Let us have earnest and impressive elocution, well-made sermons, some lesson that the congregation can take home with them; for an ill- considered discourse is an insult to educated people. If our pastors, beloved notwithstanding these severe criticisms, would drop in quietly on any Sunday afternoon at the little Church by the Chainbridge and see how earnest and attentive the congregation is—it cannot help itself-for the Clergyman prays, not sings, and preaches a short practical sermon. As a congregation, we go to serve our Maker, not for respectability's sake. Let us have our house in good order. I enclose my card. LOVER OF THE CHURCH.

TAFFY'S ELECTION PROMISES.

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TAFFY'S ELECTION PROMISES. Taffy is a Welshman, Taffy's still a liar, Taffy came to my house, Nigh to Acrefair. Taffies promised all their votes, Said they'd vote for Squire, Taffies turned them round about At Ministers' desire. Such is a Taffy's word, Sweet as you'd require But 'tis when your back is turned He's the thorough liar. —North Wales Guardian. TAFFY'S a thorough Welshman, Taffy is no fool, Taffy is a politician Who hates the Tory rule. 'Tis always his ambition To smile a Tory spite, And struggle as a Briton For liberty and right. Cefn. GWEITHIWK.

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For a sustaining, comforting, and nourishing beverage, drink Cadbury's Pure Cocoa, and do not be persuaded to accept a substitute. HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT AND PILLS.—Few persons are so favoured by circumstances, or so fortified by nature, as to enable them to pass unscathed the sore trials of an inclement season. Wibh catarrhs, coughs and influenzas everywhere abounding, it should be universally known that Liolloway'sOintment,diligently rubbed upon the chest, checks the worst assaults of these maladies, and securely wards off more g^ve and dangerous diseases of the throat and lungs. The truth of this assertion must remain unquestioned in the face of thousands of unimpeachable living wit- nesses, who have personally derived the utmost pos- sible benefits from this treatment when their present sufferings were appalling, and their future prospects disheartening. Both remedies act admirably to- gether.

LATES L1 TELEGRAMS.

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LATES L1 TELEGRAMS. ["CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAMS.] LLANGOLLEN ADVERTISER OFFICE, Thursday Evening. Consols are one-sixteenth lower. The Bank Rate has, to-day, been advanced to 4: per cent. The ship Robert and Charlotte, of Grimsby, has foundered at sea, and all hands are believed to have been lost. MR. GLADSTONE AND HOME RULE. Mr. Gladstone telegraphs to the Central News in reference to his alleged scheme of Home Rule, published by the Standard, that the statement is not an accurate representation of his views, but is, he presumes, a speculation upon them, published without his knowledge or authority.

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Steps are being taken to commemorate the 80th birthday, near at hand, of Mr. David Roberts, J.P., a well-known Welsh Methodist layman, and father of Mr. John Roberts, M.P. for the Flint Boroughs. He is the only surviving lay officer of those who started the Foreign Missionary Society. He has been a munificent supporter of the movement for establishing English churches, and also of Bala College, to which in addition to other gifts, he gives an annual scholar- ship of J220. DEATH OF A WELL-KNOWN CHARACTER.—A West of England contemporary announces the .death of Mr. J. Simms, the well-known proprietor of marionettes, which took place at Walsingham- place, Truro, on Tuesday week, from an attack of paralysis. Deceased, who was 63 years of age, and had travelled in Wales, Devon, and Cornwall for upwards of twenty years, was a Freemason of Lodge True and Faithful (Helston), a member of the Loyal Tamar Lodge of Odd-fellows, and of the Court of Foresters. Lord Nelson's Pride, Devonport. Mr. Simms attended the Masonic Lodge, Fortitude, 331, Truro, on the 10th ult., and promised to give a benefit entertainment under the patronage of the Freemasons of the city on behalf of the Royal Cornwall Infirmary. But on Saturday following he had a paralytic stroke, and it was seen that he was sinking, when he was removed from his caravan in Victoria-place-where he had been staying some weeks-to a house in Walsingham- place. He was buried on Friday week with Masonic honours. DEATH OF MR. JOHN RALPH.—We have to record the death of Mr. John R. K. Ralph, secretary of the Church Defence Institution, and editor of the National Church. The sad event took place some- what unexpectedly in London on Saturday. About a fortnight ago Mr. Ralph underwent an operation for an internal complaint from which he had been suffering for some time. He appeared to be pro- gressing favourably until Wednesday, when a relapse took place. He never rallied, and expired about half-past four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. The late Mr. Ralph was born at Deal, in Kent, in January. 1824, and was consequently in the 62nd year of his age. He graduated at Queen's College, Oxford, and during his residence he was elected president of the Oxford Union. After taking his degree he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, in 1852, and subsequently joined the North Wales and Chester Circuit. For some years Mr. Ralph was editor of the Chester Comwit,

" TAFFY'S " DEFENCE.

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TAFFY'S DEFENCE. rwrittpn in renlv to the vile slander of the North Wales YES-" Taffy is a Welshman," And dares to speak the truth He hates with honest hatred The false from early youth; He cannot bear oppression, He loves true freedom well, And therefore, could not give his vote To Salisbury and Parnell. Yes-" Taffy is a Welshman And to his chapel goes, And, taught by Holy Scriptures, He prays for all his foes And there he hears the Gospel, The living truth Divine, And helps to pay his pastor too, What some rich folks decline. Yes-" Taffy is a Welshman," An earnest Liberal he He seeks to make his country From Tory thraldom free He scorns the hollow falsehoods, And all the vile intrigue Indulged in by the women of The new-fledg'd Primrose League." Yes-" Taffy is a Welshman," And is resolved to fight, In spite of Church in Danger," For what is fair and right: He'll face the frown of landlords And masters' threat and screw, And in the conflict e'er remain To God and conscience true. Acrefair. TAFFY JONES.